shotgun Hear it!

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shotgun definition

shot·gun (s̸hät′gun′)

noun

  1. a smoothbore gun, usually used for firing a charge of shot at short range, as in hunting small game
  2. Football an offensive formation, esp. for passing, in which the quarterback takes the snap while standing several yards behind the line of scrimmage
    often shotgun formation

transitive verb, intransitive verb

to shoot, force, or threaten with a shotgun

adjective

  1. done or made under duress
  2. with no fixed direction or target
  3. designating a long, narrow house, apartment, etc. with rooms arranged one behind the other
shotgun Idioms

ride shotgun

  1. Historical in the W U.S., to go along as an armed guard, esp. with the driver of a stagecoach
  2. to accompany for protection, as in the front seat of a motor vehicle

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

idioms shotgun idiom

shotgun Synonyms

shotgun

n.

Sizes and types of shotguns include: 10-gauge, 12-gauge, 16-gauge, 20-gauge, 26-gauge, single-barreled, double-barreled, hammerless, full-choke, modified choke, smooth bore, single shot, repeater, magazine, hand-loading, automatic, self-loading, pump, one-trigger, two-trigger, sawed-off;


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

shotgun Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • possess: Possess a shotgun if covered and secured from the age of 15 years.

Adjective modifier

  • sawn-off: During the attack two security guards were slightly wounded by shots from a sawn-off shotgun.

Modifies a noun

  • mics: Neumann, Sennheiser and AKG all make shotgun mics that are used a lot.

Noun used with modifier

  • pump-action: He crept toward the bench, the pump-action shotgun leading the way.
shotgun usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

shotgun quotes

As American as a sawed-off shotgun.

-Parker, Dorothy ne¤  e Rothschild

[He] reckoned a body could reform the old man with a shotgun, maybe, but he didn't know no other way.

-Twain, Mark pseudonym of  Samuel Langhorne Clemens

shotgun quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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MLA Style

"shotgun." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/shotgun>

APA Style

shotgun. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/shotgun

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